Aragon is a decentralized app (dApp) on the Ethereum blockchain that allows anyone to create and manage a decentralized organization. The Aragon project is open source and led by the Aragon Foundation. It also includes a token, ANT, that grants voting rights to make decisions about the direction of future development. Eventually, Aragon hopes to be a fully decentralized autonomous organization and dApp that’s a neutral jurisdiction for anyone to create an organization on the blockchain. In the early days of development, the project is relying on the nonprofit Aragon Foundation to provide direction and support as the project gets off the ground. The idea, however, is to eventually dissolve, scale back, or change the nature of the Foundation as community support grows. In the future, Aragon will be entirely decentralized and community led. Holders of the ANT token will have voting rights on all issues concerning Aragon. Aragon is an open source, non-profit project. It has many contributors. It also doesn’t technically have a CEO or CTO. Instead, it has a project lead. But don’t get it twisted, the lead is essentially the CEO. uis Cuende is leading the project. In 2011, he received a “Best Underage European Programmer” award, and he’s a recipient of Forbes’ 30 under 30 recognition. He’s a young guy, but with leadership and technical chops. He has advised the Vice President of the European Commission and is an MIT Innovators Under 35 awardee. He has founded several startups and created the first Linux distribution with face login. Aragon offers several core features. It has a module for identity management and closely related modules for ownership and access control. Other modules include shareholder voting, fundraising through token generation, HR onboarding and payroll, and accounts payable/receivable. Taken together, the core functionality of Aragon covers the critical aspects of accounting, governance, and identity that make modern companies work. As you can see, these modules make up most of the administrative functions that a modern company or organization requires. It’s important to emphasize that these modules can individually be turned on and off, providing instant customization for the company’s needs. In addition, all of the code behind Aragon is open source. A company’s development team could edit them as needed to fulfill the company’s requirements. The modular design of Aragon doesn’t stop with the core modules that come standard. Just as companies can edit existing modules, they’re free to develop completely new models as well. They can also develop atop the data and structures of existing models for extended functionality. The modular nature of Aragon, combined with its open source ethos, means we could see a whole ecosystem of free to use modules that extend capacity for organizations on Aragon. Aragon explicitly has the goal of creating a digital jurisdiction. Just like countries have jurisdiction over their citizens when it comes to courts of law, Aragon wants to create the first digital court of law. This court wouldn’t operate based on country boundaries. Instead, it would help enforce digital contracts between organizations on the Aragon platform. The ANT token is the native token of Aragon and plays a critical role in the governance model and incentive structure of the platform. It represents the wealth of the decentralized economy and was initially sold during Aragon’s highly successful ICO in May 2017 that raised $24 million. Subsequently, the ANT token has come to represent a powerful share of the governance on the platform. ANT holders can vote on proposals, participate in arbitration and the decentralized court system, and help contribute to the non-profit Aragon Foundation or to research and development through the Aragon Nest program.
The district0x network is a collective of decentralized and autonomous marketplaces and communities, also known as districts. These districts are built upon a decentralized and distributed open-source framework, the d0xINFRA network, which is powered by Ethereum smart contracts. The district0x network aims at creating a friction-free, virtual economy where the users will be able to make buying and selling decisions, complete transactions, and even rank their peers with just one simple click. District0x aims to develop a flexible, and free market with advanced entrepreneurial concepts. The District0x infrastructure has a very neat concept with some well-outlined features, such as the staking interface. A staking interface is put in place that allows DNT holders to have open control over the districts through an Aragon governance layer for all markets that come online. Post creation of a district, an Aragon entity will also be created that people can use to interact with this staking mechanism. After staking a user will receive voting rights in that district. Using the creation interface, one can remove central power structures from any marketplace without the additional need for development or programming skills. It can be described as the WordPress of dApps where the districts being launched are like wordpress templates and the auxiliary modules are WordPress plugins for extended functionality. While it is very difficult to buy lesser known cryptocurrencies using fiat currencies (dollars, euros) directly from crypto-exchanges, district0x or DNT can be easily purchased from various exchanges using Ethereum or Bitcoin as the base cryptocoin. Binance is one of the popular exchange platforms that can help trade Bitcoin or Ethereum for District0x. One can use various wallets like myetherwallet.com to store the district0x (DNT) coins. Coinbase, Blockchain, Exodus, Trezor Hardware Wallet are also wallets that supports district0x. District0x, differs from most coins in its underlying concept and the architecture it is built on. The concept of interconnected districts and marketplaces promises a novel structure to the modern economies. What a lot of users are missing out on is the fact that it is a staking mechanism and not just a voting token. Staking is basically the process of mining the PoS (proof of stake) coins. Early investors will be able to lock their tokens to a specific district on the network, thus being able to participate in its governance later. DNT tokens can be staked in districts, thus they not only give voting power and privileges within that district but also provide district-specific tokens depending on when the investor had started trading. For example, early investors of the PoS token will be able to make decisions about the distribution of profits among stakeholders, the intricacies of the business model etc. DNT can basically be considered as a dynamic stock in the future district0x ecosystem. By joining the district0x, the user receives district0x coins. They allow the owner to exercise the right to vote for district proposals and make decisions within certain districts. This includes, for example, voting on proposals concerning the future of a particular district or setting fees. The scope of shareholders’ rights is outlined in the bylaws and varies according to the specific scope and purpose of each district. District0x platform users can interact with the functions and services provided by each district. Users can also freely create their own districts. For example, on Ethlance, the first district in the District0x network, users can post job offers or search for new jobs.